Improvement in crutches



S. A. BRGKETT.

Brutnhes.

Patnted Dec. 31, 1872.

SAMUEL A. BRAGKETT, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT IN CRUTCHES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. ]l3d=,35]l, datedDecember 31, 1872.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, SAMUEL A. BRAGKETT, ofBoston, in the county of Suifolk and State of Massachusetts, haveinvented certain Improvements in Grutches, of which the following is aspecification:

Nature and Object of the Invention.

The first part of my invention relates to a combination, with a crutch,of a tip or tread of rubber or other suitable expansible material,molded into form, and made fast to the crutch by means of an uprighttubular tenon upon its inner face, the bore of which graduallydiminishes in size from the base of the tenon to its end, and whichtenon is inserted in an inwardly-enlarging socket in the end of thecrutch, and expanded therein by a cylindrical pin forced through a holein the tip into and through the bore of the tenon. This part of myinvention embraces an adaptation to crutches, canes, legs of chairs, andother similar parts of the principle of myformer in vention entitled animprovement in heels, for which Letters Patent were issued to me underdate of November 5, 1872. The second part of my invention relates to acombination, with such a rubber tip on a crutch, of an adjustable spuror stud to prevent slipping'upon ice.

Description of the Accompanying Drawing.

Figure l is a vertical section of a crutch embodying my invention, withall the parts in place. a is the rubber tip, with its tenon 1) expandedwithin the inwardly-enlarging socket in the end of the crutch. I preferto make it with two shoulders, the one bearing against the wood of thecrutch at c, and the other bearing against the edge of the metallicferrule f, which extends about one eighth of an inch below the end ofthe wood, and furnishes lateral support to the tip. 0 is the ice-spur,the screw of which is long enough to admit of its protrusion below thetip, or of its being withdrawn within it. The screw passes through theexpanding-pin d, and, when withdrawn, into a recess in the crutch beyondthe socket.

Fig. 2 is a sectionof the end of a'crutch prepared to receive the tipand the spur. g is the inwardly-enlarging socket. -h h are the recesses, which may be in one, to receive the expanding-pin when it isforced home, and the screw of the spur when the latter is withdrawn.

Fig. 3 is a vertical section of the rubber tip,

showing the cylindrical hole in the tip i communicating with thegraduallydiminishing bore in the tenon j.

Fig. 4 is a side view of the rubber tip.

Fig. 5 is a section of the expanding-pin d, with the hole It for thereception of the screw upon the ice-spur c. This pin is preferably madeof iron or other suitable metal.

Fig. 6 is the ice-spur. It consists of an iron or steel stud upon theend of a screw rod, fitting easily the hole in the expanding-pin. Itshould be aboutone-half an inch longer than the expanding-pin, so thatwhen the stud protrudes in use the rod may have the support of theentire length of the screw thereof in the pin.

Fig. 7 is a sectional view of a crutch with all the parts described inplace and the ice-' spur protruding. 1

Instead of making the inwardly-enlarging socket in the end of the woodof the crutch, the ferrule f may be extended sufliciently far below theend of the crutch, and contracted at its lower end, so as to form theinwardly-enlarging socket within which the tenoii ofkthe tip isexpanded. In such case the ferrulemust be retained in place by beingscrewed upon the end of the crutch, or otherwise fastened to it 5 and itwill be necessary to form in the wood of the crutch only the recess orrecesses for the expanding-pin, and the screw of the stud when thelatter is withdrawn into the tip, as described.

The stud upon the end of the ice-spur should be so formed that it can befirmly held by a key or forceps when it is desired to screw it out orin.

I claim-- 1. In a crutch, the combination of the elastic tip or tread a.with' a tenon having an inwardly-diminishing bore, and the expandingpind with or without the screw-hole k, and the inwardly-enlarging socket g,whether the same is formed in the leg or in an extension of a ferrule,all substantially as and for the purposes described.

2. In combination with a crutch having tip or tread a attached, asdescribed, the ice-spur c, and the screw-hole k in the expanding-pin d,substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore set forth.

SAMUEL .A. BRAOKETT.

Witnesses:

WM. W. WHITGOMB, E. F. Honours, Jr.

